When Israel goes to the polls on 27 October, voters will decide on matters ranging from military conscription to economic pressures and how the state should investigate its failure to prevent the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack.

AFP examines the key issues driving the campaign as election day approaches.

Calls for a 7 October inquiry

Many Israelis want an independent state commission to investigate the failures that allowed Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed more than 1 200 people.

The deadliest day in Israel’s history inflicted a deep national trauma that continues to shape the country’s politics, society and collective thinking.

Israel has launched commissions of inquiry after previous national crises. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challenger, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, has pledged to do so again, calling it “a way to prevent the next disaster”.

But Netanyahu’s government, which held office when the attack happened, has rejected the calls.

Instead, it has blamed the security establishment for failing to prevent the assault and proposed a bipartisan commission whose members would be appointed by politicians.

Opposition figure Yair Lapid said the government-proposed commission’s purpose “is to whitewash (those responsible) and prevent a genuine investigation”.

Netanyahu himself has blamed the security services for not waking him sooner on the day of the attack.

He faces growing accusations that he ignored early warnings, notably from the UAE, which reportedly told him Hamas was planning a major operation.

The premier has also come under increased scrutiny over his government’s past dealings with Qatar, which backed Hamas financially with Israeli approval and has long hosted the group’s political leadership.

A shift in security doctrine

For decades, Israel’s security doctrine rested on three principles: strong intelligence, deterrence and short wars.

But that changed after 7 October.

The government has instead embraced long military campaigns, reflected in the army’s continued presence in “security zones” in Gaza, southern Lebanon and Syria.

It also carries out near-daily operations in the occupied West Bank, has launched two wars with Iran and has conducted strikes against Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. This has fuelled debate over the country’s ability to sustain a military deployed on multiple fronts.

Tens of thousands of reservists have been repeatedly mobilised since 2023, often at significant personal and economic cost. Military leaders continue to warn of manpower shortages.

“We have gone from a logic of deterrence and prosperity between wars to a society that lives permanently by the sword,” said Ofer Shelah, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies.

The campaigns have damaged Israel’s reputation, drawing fierce international criticism, particularly over the war in Gaza, where the Palestinian death toll has exceeded 74 000, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Even US President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Netanyahu over Israel’s conduct during the latest conflict with Iran. At one point, he launched a profanity-laced tirade after fresh Israeli strikes on Lebanon threatened to derail ceasefire negotiations.

The ultra-Orthodox conscription battle

With the military facing manpower shortages, the debate over exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews has evolved into a broader argument over Israel’s identity.

Ultra-Orthodox parties want to preserve exemptions that allow religious students to avoid military service. They have backing from Netanyahu’s Likud party and, by and large, from its far-right coalition partners.

But opposition parties support ending the exemptions and have said they would refuse to join any government that includes ultra-Orthodox parties.

Eisenkot, who lost a son in the Gaza war, has also taken aim at the exemptions, describing Netanyahu’s government as one that “promotes evasion of duty without shame”.

Netanyahu has struggled to strike a balance on the issue. He recently criticised the arrest of ultra-Orthodox draft dodgers in an interview, while also insisting that those not engaged in full-time Torah study should enlist.

The issue has spawned protests by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators, including one in which they stormed the home of Israel’s military police chief.

But the divide extends beyond military service.

Just days before parliament was dissolved, the outgoing coalition introduced measures promoting gender separation in some public spaces and passed legislation emphasising the importance of Torah study.

Supporters say these policies strengthen Israel’s Jewish character, but critics argue they move the country towards greater religious influence over public life.

Economic pressure mounts

While security dominates the political debate, the economy remains a major concern for many voters.

Despite strong economic growth, with GDP more than doubling since 2000 and unemployment historically low, Israelis continue to face one of the world’s highest costs of living.

At the same time, median wages remain below the OECD average, putting increasing pressure on households.

Economists point to long-standing structural problems, including housing shortages, trade barriers and limited competition in key sectors, as the main drivers of high prices.

The wars have added another challenge.

Since 2023, Israel’s defence budget has doubled, placing growing pressure on public finances.

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